Weapon dispersal system

ABSTRACT

Bomb-pairs positioned in clip-in modules, mounted on rails in the bomb bay of an aircraft, having the deceleration skirts replaced by separation devices. The separation devices have a cylindrical element which acts as a piston attached to one bomb and a cylindrical element which acts as the cylinder attached to the other bomb of the bomb pair. A propellant charge is positioned within the separation device with the propellant charge igniter being operated through a time delay device.

United States Patent [1 1 [111 3,874,266

Peterson Apr. 1, 1975 [54] WEAPON DISPERSAL SYSTEM 3,611,931 l0/l97lBessey ct all l02/7.2

[75] Inventor: g ggg gh z g g? Palos verdes Primary Examiner-Verlin R.Pendegrass Attorney, Agent, or Firm--Harry A. Herbert, Jr.; [73]Assignee: The United States of America as Richard J. Killorenrepresented by the Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, DC. [57ABSTRACT [22] Filed: Jan. 14, 1974 Bomb-pairs positioned in clip-inmodules, mounted on rails in the bomb bay of an aircraft, having thedecel- [zl i Appl' 433l74 eration skirts replaced by separation devices.The separation devices have a cylindrical element which acts [52] U.S.Cl. 89/15, l02/7.2 as a piston attached to one bomb and a cylindricalele- {Sl Int. Cl. B64d l/04 ment which acts as the cylinder attached tothe other [58] Field of Search 89/l.5 R, 1.7; 102/2, 7.2 bomb of thebomb pair. A propellant charge is positioned within the separationdevice with the propellant [56] References Cited charge igniter beingoperated through a time delay de- UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,264,985 8/1966Reed 89/15 R 1 Claim, 3 Drawing Figures saw 2 i 2 EA PON DISPERSALSYSTEM RIGHTS OF THE GOVERNMENT The invention described herein may bemanufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States forall governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION l o\\' altitude dispersion. ofconventionaltype bombs. is always a problem. In order to saturate an area withconventional bombs. several passes. over the target area. have beenrequired. Various mechanisms have been devised. such as in the US. Pat.No. to Myers, 3.439.6l and Flatau. 3.584.58l. for dispensing munitionsover a large target area. However. heretofore. no satisfactory systemexisted for dispensing conventional bombs over a large area.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to this invention. bluff shapedweapons that are normally equipped with a deceleration skirt aremodified by replacing the deceleration device with a separation device.In low altitude saturation bombing. the accuracy of any particular bombis not important so that the deceleration skirt. which is used toenhance accuracy. is not needed. In the separation device. cylindricalelements are attached to the bombs with one dei ice acting as a pistonand the other as a cylinder. Propellant charges. igniters delay devicesand other elements as needed may be provided within the cylindricalelements. The desired separation velocities of the bombs may be obtainedby varying the charges and by providing vents in the cylindricalelements. The twobomb units are stacked in vertical channel racks in thebomb bay of an aircraft. A toothed rack and mating sprocket teeth on thebombs help to maintain proper lateral orientation of the bomb pairsdropped from the aircraft.

IN THE DRAWING FIG. I is a partially cut away view of a two bomb unitaccording to the invention.

l-IG. 2 is a partially schematic view of a plurality of the bomb unitsof FIGv I in a plurality of bomb channel racks.

FIG. 3 is a top view ofone ofthe bomb channel racks of Fl(i. 2.

DFII'AILED DES(RIPTION OF THE INVENTION Reference is made to FIG. I ofthe drawing which shows a bomb having a cylindrical element 12 fortnmg apiston member which fits inside a cylinder element 14 attached to bomb16. A propellant charge unit I8 is positioned within cylindrical element12 and is attached to the wall 20. A propellant charge unit 22 ispositioned within cylinder element 14 and is attached to the wall 24.The propellant charges are ignited by the igniters 27 and 28. A signalapplied to leads 30 from the on board computer is applied to a delaydevice 32. The delay device 32 may be a conventional mechanical clockmechanism. The clock mechanism is made to operate the igniters 27 and 28after the bombs have dropped a predetermined distance below theaircraft. comentional safety mechanism. not shown. may be provided toprevent operation of the igniters until after the bombs have left thebomb rack.

The bombs are stacked in bomb channel racks 36 as shown in FIG. 2.Several channel racks are secured together to form a clip-in modulehaving rollers 38 which ride on rails 40 to aid in loading bomb bay ofthe aircraft. Rails may be provided in the bomb bay to accom modate morethan one clip-in module. The clip-in modules may be secured in the bayby means of conventional locking means. shown schematically at 42.

A pair of toothed rack elements are made to mate with sprocket teeth 46on the bombs. Solenoid elements 47 have plunger rods 48 engaging thesprocket teeth 46 to hold the bomb in the channel rack. Signals from theon board computer operate the solenoids to release the bombs in anydesired sequence.

Other means than that shown. such as lock linkages. may be used forlocking and releasing the bombs. A single propellant charge may also beused. in some applications. in the separation device. Also. openingvents may be provided in the walls of the cylindrical-element l2 andcylinder element 14 to vary the velocities to obtain the desired bombpattern.

In the operation of the device. signals from the on board computeroperate the bomb releases. start the clock mechanism and arm the bombsin a conventional manner. Bomb pairs may be dropped from the clip-inmodules in any predetermined sequence. After a bomb pair has dropped apredetermined distance below the aircraft. as determined by the delaymechanism. the igniters are energized. The propellant charge thenpropels the bombs away from each other with the velocity as determinedby the charge. The bombs exhibit reasonable stability without thedeceleration skirt due to the forward center of gravity and longcylindrical tail members 12 and I4.

There is thus provided a low altitude bomb dispersion system which makesit possible to saturate a target area with conventional type bombs.

I claim:

I. A weapon dispersal system for conventional bluff shaped bombs.comprising a bomb pair including a first bomb having a first cylindricalmember secured to the end thereof and a second bomb having a secondcylindrical member secured to the end thereof; said second cylindricalmember being positioned within the first cylindrical member and forminga piston member within the first cylindrical member and adapted to forma separate device for the bomb pair; at least one propellant chargepositioned within said cylindrical membersLa plurality of verticalchannel racks forming clip-in modules adapted to be secured in the bombbay of an aircraft; means in said channel racks for securing a pluralityof bomb pairs in each vertical channel rack: said securing meansincluding means for selectively releasing the bomb pairs from thechannel racks: said bomb pairs and said channel racks including meansfor maintaining proper lateral orientation of the bomb pairs leaving thechannel racks: means for igniting said propellant charge; said means forigniting said propellant charge including means for providing apredetermined time delay in the ignition of said propellant charge.whereby the bomb pair will drop a predetermined distance below theaircraft before ignition; said means for maintaining proper lateralorientation of the bomb pair within the vertical racks including a pairof spaced toothed racks within the vertical channel racks and matingsprocket teeth on said bomb pair.

I l I I I

1. A weapon dispersal system for conventional bluff shaped bombs,comprising a bomb pair including a first bomb having a first cylindricalmember secured to the end thereof and a second bomb having a secondcylindrical member secured to the end thereof; said second cylindricalmember being positioned within the first cylindrical member and forminga piston member within the first cylindrical member and adapted to forma separate device for the bomb pair; at least one propellant chargepositioned within said cylindrical members; a plurality of verticalchannel racks forming clip-in modules adapted to be secured in the bombbay of an aircraft; means in said channel racks for securing a pluralityof bomb pairs in each vertical channel rack; said securing meansincluding means for selectively releasing the bomb pairs from thechannel racks; said bomb pairs and said channel racks including meansfor maintaining proper lateral orientation of the bomb pairs leaving thechannel racks; means for igniting said propellant charge; said means forigniting said propellant charge including means for providing apredetermined time delay in the ignition of said propellant charge,whereby the bomb pair will drop a predetermined distance below theaircraft before ignition; said means for maintaining proper lateralorientation of the bomb pair within the vertical racks including a pairof spaced toothed racks within the vertical channel racks and matingsprocket teeth on said bomb pair.